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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 NEWS Art gives inmates incentive to stay out of trouble By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER The decor through most of Two Rivers Correctional Institution is bleak. Long, bare corridors made of cement floors flanked by off-white walls stretch endlessly through the prison. In the medical area, it’s different. Purple-hued mountains decorate one wall, while a mixture of greens, browns and oranges form a forest on another. In the day room, the walls are covered floor to ceiling with a busy underwater scene. In a changing area for staff, the men’s restroom is a riot of orange and black for the Oregon State Beavers, while the women’s bathroom is all about the University of Ore- gon Ducks. Most of it is the hand- iwork of George Albert Venecia. “It’s nice to be able to look at something besides the wall and each other,” he said. Venecia would know — he’s been staring at prison walls for 12 and a half years since he was con- victed of charges of sodomy and sex abuse. He still has another 12 and a half to go, which is probably why his favorite things to paint are nature scenes. Inside TRCI, “nature” generally means the patch of sky inmates can see when they exercise in the yard. Many inmates at the prison outside Umatilla are gifted artists. Detailed col- ored pencil drawings by inmates line a visitor room, and right now the institu- tion is auctioning off wood and metal pieces created by inmates to benefit the Agape House. Venecia said he didn’t start painting until he landed in prison, something TRCI spokesperson Sherry Iles said is common. “So many times I say ‘This is amazing!’ and they say, ‘Yeah, I didn’t start until I came in here,’” she said, STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS A piece of metal art created by an inmate sits on display for a silent auction in a staff break room at TRCI. At right is a wooden candle holder, also up for auction. STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Inmate George Albert Venecia demonstrates how he creates texture in one of his drawings using a pen cap. pointing to a wall of intri- cate colored pencil drawings in an area for visitors. “For me, if I take photos of what they’ve done, I give it to them for their portfolio for when they get out, for work opportunities.” Venecia is one of TRCI’s residents who wants to make a career out of art someday. While his specialty is paint, others work with wood or metal or fabric. In TRCI’s administration building right now, a col- lection of artwork is up for silent auction among staff to benefit the Agape House’s food bank. The art is mostly created by inmates in the facilities plant, who fabri- cate everything from metal lockers to book shelves and in their spare time are allowed to use scraps for artwork. In the administration building, a small motorcy- cle made of plumbing parts sits on a decorative wooden dresser. Nearby, scraps of metal weave themselves into an American flag pic- ture frame while delicately carved walking sticks — unrecognizable as former mop handles — sit on the floor. There are colorful blankets made by members of TRCI’s crocheting class. “It’s really relaxing for them, and they do some amazing stuff,” Iles said. She said in the past inmates have gotten per- mission to sell art or publish novels available outside the institution. Venecia has got- ten such permission for his artwork. Few of the men inside the prison are given the priv- ilege of using paint and a paintbrush. Venecia said only those with a long track record of being a model inmate are allowed to work on projects like the murals he paints, which gives him incentive to keep on the right track. “I was trying to teach the other inmates how to paint, but it’s hard for them to, shall we say, stay out of trouble, so I kept losing peo- ple,” he said. Staff in the infirmary praise his talent, and said it’s hard to keep him for their projects as staff from other areas of the prison try to bor- row him for their office or other spaces. In one office, Venecia painted a set of lace curtains on the wall for a staff member who was sad she couldn’t have real cur- tains for safety reasons. It’s not just TRCI employ- ees Venecia does projects for. He works in his cell, manipulating colored pen- cils with his fingers, eras- ers, pen caps and even toilet paper to create a paint-like effect. Sometimes he does projects for other inmates, or for family members (he was working on a portrait for his cousin Monday). He said he has been work- ing lately on some T-shirt designs for a former TRCI inmate who wrote him and said they were having trou- ble finding work on the out- side and wanted to start their own company selling shirts. “I told him, I’ll send you some stuff. Don’t get into trouble. Don’t come back,” Venecia said. Athena mayor to run for seat on county commission By PHIL WRIGHT STAFF WRITER Athena Mayor John Sha- fer announced he is chal- lenging incumbent Larry Givens of Umapine in the race for Umatilla County commissioner. Shafer in a media announcement said he is running on the motto, “Rela- tionships are primary.” He said commissioners need to get to all parts of the county and was critical the county is underserving residents in the Milton-Freewater area. The county has an office there, he said, but he was not sure how often people visit it. He promised to hold office hours in Milton-Freewater one day a week. He also advocated for the county to create a priority list for the budget and was critical of the county’s chief financial officer having too much say. Shafer’s announcement first appeared in the Val- ley Herald newspaper, after which he officially filed for candidacy. Givens filed in October to seek a fourth term. He agreed relationship build- ing is key to effective lead- ership as a county com- missioner and said he has built relationships and con- nections that benefit his constituents. Commissioners are based in the county courthouse in Pendleton, but Givens used to hold regular office hours in Milton-Freewater. He said he backed off that last year because he felt there was not much need for it. Givens also said the county’s budget process “When you are in charge of the citizens’ dollars, you have to make those go as far as they can.” Larry Givens, Umatilla County Commissioner allows department heads the freedom to prioritize their needs, then the coun- ty’s budget committee makes recommendations and the chief financial offi- cer weighs in. But the com- missioners make the final determination. “When you are in charge of the citizens’ dollars, you have to make those go as far as they can,” Givens said. Umatilla County has three commissioners, all are at-large. Commissioners serve four-year terms. Each position has an annual sal- ary of $90,852 a year plus benefits. Shafer is a communica- tions sergeant with the Uma- tilla County Sheriff’s Office. If he were to prevail, he would have to quit that job. The county charter prohib- its a county employee from serving on the board. Qualified candidates for the Umatilla County Board of Commisisoners have until March 6 to file. 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